Beef

Overview

Georgia-raised cattle descend from stock in Europe, Africa and South America. Breeds including Angus, Charolais and Simmental are the cornerstone of the multimillion-dollar Georgia beef industry.

Economic Impact of Beef in Georgia

Georgia cattlemen own approximately 1.3 million head of cattle. 2008 cash receipts totaled more than $291 million, making cattle the state's sixth largest commodity.

Because cattle are raised in all 159 counties of Georgia, the beef industry has a large impact on the state's economy (estimated at more than $2 billion). In Georgia there are almost 18,000 producers of beef cattle.

Selling Cattle

Cattle are usually sold through county or area livestock markets. Each animal is typically sold individually on a per-pound basis. Most yearlings are shipped to the Midwest, where they are raised to finish weights.

A 1,000-pound market steer yields approximately 425 pounds of beef. Of the carcass, 99 percent is either used as meat or recovered as byproducts, both edible and inedible. Byproducts are used to make a wide variety of goods including pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and clothing.

Georgia Cattlemen's Association

With more than 6,000 members, the Georgia Cattlemen's Association, based in Macon, is the largest single-commodity producer group in Georgia and the sixth-largest state cattlemen's organization in the United States. The average Georgia Cattlemen's Association member owns 123 head of cattle and owns or leases an average of 447 acres of land.

UGA Beef Team
Provides instructional, research and extension programming in the areas of food animal production, equine/companion animal management, and animal and medicinal biotechnology that addresses critical issues, such as cost of production, profitability, human and animal health, environmental stewardship, bioethics, and animal well-being.

External sites

Beef.org
Provides results of current beef and cattle research, as well as food safety information and links to other key industry websites. Produced by National Cattlemen's Beef Association for consumers, the industry, media professionals, and cattle producers.

Training

UGA Extension offers training within local communities on a wide array of topics. To see if there are training events in your area, please visit our calendar.

Southeast Georgia Beef Cattle Short Course
Offers producers in the Southeastern region of the state an opportunity to interact with university specialists and industry professionals about issues facing the beef industry.